Who’s Responsible for AI Harm? Deepfakes, Scams, Big Tech & Congress with Allyson Kapin

AI-generated deepfakes are getting easier to create, harder to detect, and increasingly being used to target women and children. So who is responsible for stopping the harm: Big Tech, Congress, or the rest of us? In this episode of Women Talkin’ ’Bout AI, Kimberly Becker talks with Allyson Kapin, founder of Women Who Tech, co-founder of the W Fund, and founder of RAD Campaign, about AI deepfakes, nonconsensual intimate imagery, misinformation, online scams, tech regulation, and political power. Allyson shares polling showing that Americans are deeply concerned about AI being used to sexually exploit women and children, and explains why she believes both technology companies and lawmakers need to take far greater responsibility. The conversation also examines a fundamental imbalance in AI regulation -- tech companies possess the technical knowledge, data, money, and control over their platforms, while Congress has the legal power to regulate them but may lack the expertise, time, or political incentives to keep pace. Kimberly and Allyson discuss: How AI deepfakes and nonconsensual sexual imagery are affecting women and children Why photos posted online can become raw material for AI-generated sexualized images What parents should tell kids about deepfakes, sextortion, and online harassment AI-enabled scams targeting older adults Why older Americans may also be an important political force in AI regulation Whether Congress has enough technical expertise to regulate AI effectively The role of Big Tech money and political influence How algorithms, platform ownership, and editorial decisions shape what information people see Misinformation, media literacy, and the growing burden placed on individuals to determine what is real Why asking people to simply “be more media literate” may no longer be enough The TAKE IT DOWN Act and other attempts to address nonconsensual intimate deepfakes, including the stalled Defiance Act How constituents can pressure members of Congress to pay attention to AI harms The historical pattern of new technologies creating harms long before institutions decide who should be accountable The larger question running through the episode is simple but increasingly urgent: When technology becomes too sophisticated for ordinary people to reliably protect themselves, where should responsibility sit? Topics AI deepfakes, artificial intelligence, AI scams, nonconsensual intimate imagery, NCII, misinformation, disinformation, AI regulation, Congress and AI, Big Tech accountability, women in technology, online safety, child safety, social media algorithms, media literacy, sextortion, deepfake pornography, AI policy, tech policy, older adults and scams, election misinformation Leave us a comment or a suggestion! Support the show Contact us: https://www.womentalkinboutai.com/